Diagnostic value of plasma SPINK4 expression in colorectal adenocarcinoma and progressive adenoma / 重庆医学

Objective To investigate the clinical diagnostic value of plasma serine protease inhibitor Ka-zal-type 4(SPINK4)expression in colorectal adenocarcinoma(CRC)and progressive adenoma(AA).Methods A total of 62 patients with CRC(CRC group)and 15 patients with AA(AA group)diagnosed by colonoscopy and pathological examination in this hospital from June 2020 to December 2021 were selected,and 22 healthy people undergoing physical examination during the same period were selected as the HC group.The expression of SPINK4 in plasma was detected by ELISA,and the expression of CEA in plasma was detected by electrochemiluminescence,and the correlation was analyzed.The diagnostic efficiency was analyzed by re-ceiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,and the expression of p53 in CRC tissues was detected by immu-nohistochemistry.Results The expression of plasma SPINK4 in the CRC group and AA group was lower than that in the HC group(Z=3.72,-0.41,P＜0.05),and the expression of CEA in the CRC group was higher than that in the HC group(Z=-3.63,P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC),accuracy,sensi-tivity and specificity of SPINK4 combined with CEA in the diagnosis of CRC and AA were higher than those of SPINK4 and CEA alone.The positive rate of mutant type p53 in SPINK4 low expression group and CEA high ex-pression group was significantly increased in CRC patients(72.55％,75.00％,P＜0.05).Conclusion The expression of plasma SPINK4 is decreased in CRC and AA,and the combined detection of SPINK4 and CEA has a good di-agnostic efficiency in CRC and AA.

Clinical characteristics of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection and analysis of risk factors and predictive indicators for the development of septic shock / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical features of of patients with Staphylococcus aureus blood-stream infection and risk factors for septic shock.Methods A total of 51 patients diagnosed with Staphylococ-cus aureus bloodstream infection in the hospital from January 2018 to March 2023 were enrolled in the study.According to whether the patients developed septic shock,they were divided into septic shock group and non-septic shock group.The clinical data of the patients were collected,and the clinical laboratory indicators were detected on the day of blood culture samples were collected.Bacteria isolated from blood culture specimens of patients were identified and tested for drug sensitivity.The clinical data and clinical laboratory test indicators of the two groups were compared.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors of septic shock in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive value of clinical laboratory test indicators for septic shock in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection.Results Septic shock occurred in 12 of 51 patients,with an incidence of 23.5％.The proportion of patients with diabetes,gouty arthritis,the proportion of patients with long-term glucocorticoid use,the proportion of patients with respiratory tract in-fection,the proportion of patients who died,and the hospitalization cost in the septic shock group were higher than those in the non-septic shock group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Long-term glucocorticoid use was an independent risk factor for septic shock in Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection(P＜0.05).The combination of C-reactive protein(CRP),albumin(Alb),neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio(NLR)and procalcitonin(PCT)had high value in predicting septic shock in patients with Staphylococ-cus aureus bloodstream infection,and the area under the ROC curve was 0.983.Conclusion Long-term use of glucocorticoids can lead to an increased risk of septic shock in patients with Staphylococcus aureus blood-stream infection.The combined detection of CRP,Alb,NLR and PCT has a higher predictive value than single detection for septic shock in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection.

Study on Variation Trend of Pre-treatment Blood Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Predicting Efficacy of Tubal Pregnancy Treated by Drug Therapy / 广州中医药大学学报

Objective To investigate the role of variation trend of pre-treatment blood beta human chorionic gonadotropin(β-HCG)in predicting the efficacy of tubal pregnancy(TP)treated by drug therapy.Methods Clinical data of 380 TP patients treated by drug therapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to June 2022 were collected.The patients were divided into 271 cases in the pure Chinese medicine(CM)treatment group(shortened as pure CM group)and 109 cases in the combination of Chinese medicine and western medicine group(shortened as combination group)according to the therapy.The relevant factors that may affect the outcomes of the therapy were analyzed,and logistic regression analysis was used for the control of confounding factors.The influences of pre-treatment β-HCG on the outcomes of TP treated by various therapies were investigated,and the value of variation trend of pre-treatment β-HCG in predicting the efficacy of TP treated by drug therapy was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC curve).Results(1)The results of univariate analysis showed that the initial value of blood β-HCG,the variation trend of β-HCG and the difference value of β-HCG detected for 2 times before treatment were correlated with the treatment outcomes in the pure CM group and the combination group,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(2)The results of multivariate regression analysis showed that in the pure CM group,the blood β-HCG values and the variation trend of β-HCG detected for 2 times before treatment were correlated with the treatment outcomes,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01);in the combination group,the menopausal time and blood β-HCG value detected at the second time before treatment were correlated with the treatment outcomes,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)After controlling for the confounding factors,the variation trend of pre-treatment β-HCG in the pure CM group was correlated with the treatment outcomes,and the difference was statistically significant(OR=3.35,95%CI being 1.69-6.65,P = 0.001).However,the variation trend of pre-treatment β-HCG in the combination group did not affect the treatment outcomes,and the difference was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).(4)The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)in the pure CM group was 0.74,the cutoff value was-0.14,the sensitivity was 71.3%and the specificity was 67.8%.The AUC in the combination group was 0.67,the cutoff value was 0.10,the sensitivity was 73.6%and the specificity was 60.7%.Conclusion The variation trend of pre-treatment blood β-HCG can effectively predict the efficacy of Chinese medicine for the treatment of TP,but has no value for predicting the efficacy of the combination of Chinese medicine and western medicine in treating TP.The variation value of pre-treatment blood β-HCG can be used as a valuable reference indicator for the early prediction of the outcomes of TP treated by drug therapy.

Relationship between influencing factors of operation time and postoperative complications in hand-assisted laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy / 器官移植

Objective To identify the influencing factors of operation time of hand-assisted laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy, and to analyze the relationship between influencing factors and the severity of postoperative complications. Methods Clinical data of 91 donors who underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy were retrospectively analyzed. The correlation between preoperative baseline data of donors and operation time was analyzed. The relationship between operation time and postoperative complications was assessed and the threshold of operation time was determined. Results Multiple donor renal arteries, thick perirenal and posterior renal fat, metabolic syndrome, high Mayo adhesive probability (MAP) score and Clavien-Dindo score prolonged the operation time. By analyzing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, we found that when the operation time was ≥138 min, the incidence of postoperative complications of donors was significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions For donors with multiple renal arteries, thick perirenal and posterior renal fat, metabolic syndrome and high MAP score and Clavien-Dindo score, experienced surgeons should be selected to make adequate preoperative preparation and pay close attention after surgery, so as to timely detect postoperative complications and reduce the severity of complications, enhance clinical prognosis of the donors.

Clinical Prediction Model for Diabetic Kidney Disease Based on Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveTo construct and validate a clinical prediction model for diabetic kidney disease （DKD） based on optical coherence tomography angiography （OCTA）. MethodsThis study enrolled 567 diabetes patients. The random forest algorithm as well as logistic regression analysis were applied to construct the prediction model. The model discrimination and clinical usefulness were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC） and decision curve analysis （DCA）， respectively. ResultsThe clinical prediction model for DKD based on OCTA was constructed with area under the curve （AUC） of 0.878 and Brier score of 0.11. ConclusionsThrough multidimensional verification， the clinical prediction nomogram model based on OCTA allowed for early warning and advanced intervention of DKD.

Study on the sensitivity of a volumetric modulated arc therapy plan verification equipment on multi-leaf collimator opening and closing errors and its gamma pass rate limit / 生物医学工程学杂志

To investigate the γ pass rate limit of plan verification equipment for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan verification and its sensitivity on the opening and closing errors of multi-leaf collimator (MLC), 50 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma VMAT plan with clockwise and counterclockwise full arcs were randomly selected. Eight kinds of MLC opening and closing errors were introduced in 10 cases of them, and 80 plans with errors were generated. Firstly, the plan verification was conducted in the form of field-by-field measurement and true composite measurement. The γ analysis with the criteria of 3% dose difference, distance to agreement of 2 mm, 10% dose threshold, and absolute dose global normalized conditions were performed for these fields. Then gradient analysis was used to investigate the sensitivity of field-by-field measurement and true composite measurement on MLC opening and closing errors, and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to investigate the optimal threshold of γ pass rate for identifying errors. Tolerance limits and action limits for γ pass rates were calculated using statistical process control (SPC) method for another 40 cases. The error identification ability using the tolerance limit calculated by SPC method and the universal tolerance limit (95%) were compared with using the optimal threshold of ROC. The results show that for the true composite measurement, the clockwise arc and the counterclockwise arc, the descent gradients of the γ passing rate with per millimeter MLC opening error are 10.61%, 7.62% and 6.66%, respectively, and the descent gradients with per millimeter MLC closing error are 9.75%, 7.36% and 6.37%, respectively. The optimal thresholds obtained by the ROC method are 99.35%, 97.95% and 98.25%, respectively, and the tolerance limits obtained by the SPC method are 98.98%, 97.74% and 98.62%, respectively. The tolerance limit calculated by SPC method is close to the optimal threshold of ROC, both of which could identify all errors of ±2 mm, while the universal tolerance limit can only partially identify them, indicating that the universal tolerance limit is not sensitive on some large errors. Therefore, considering the factors such as ease of use and accuracy, it is suggested to use the true composite measurement in clinical practice, and to formulate tolerance limits and action limits suitable for the actual process of the institution based on the SPC method. In conclusion, it is expected that the results of this study can provide some references for institutions to optimize the radiotherapy plan verification process, set appropriate pass rate limit, and promote the standardization of plan verification.

Baseline NIHSS score and D-dimer in early prediction of large vessel occlusion in patients with acute ischemic stroke / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:Early identification of ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion can improve referral efficiency and shorten reperfusion time. The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of patients with large vessel occlusion and identify factors that could predict large vessel occlusion.Methods:The clinical data of 432 patients with ischemic stroke treated through emergency green channel were retrospectively analyzed, and the differences between the large vessel occlusion group (LVO group) and the non-large vessel occlusion group (non-LVO group) were compared, and two independent risk factors of the LVO group were screened out by logistics regression analysis: baseline NIHSS score and D-dimer value. The predicted cutoff values of NIHSS score and D-dimer were further determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:A total of 432 patients with ischemic stroke had complete imaging data, with a mean age of 68.5±12.4 years, including 275 (63.7%) males, and 245 (56.7%) in the LVO group and 187 (43.3%) in the non-LVO group. Age, hemorrhagic transformation, thrombolytic therapy, endovascular treatment, atrial fibrillation, baseline NIHSS score [14.0 (6.0-20.0) vs. 3.0 (1.0-6.0), P<0.05], and D-dimer value at admission [0.9(0.4-2.3) mg/L vs. 0.3 (0.2-0.5)mg/L, P<0.05] were statistically significant different between the two groups. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that higher baseline NIHSS score( OR=1.22,95% CI: 1.17-1.27)and higher D-dimer value( OR=3.10,95% CI: 2.14-4.47)were independent risk factors for large vessel occlusion. Baseline NIHSS score combined with D-dimer value was a good predictor of large vessel occlusion(AUC 0.85 [0.81-0.89]). ROC curve suggested that NIHSS score >6.5 and D-dimer >0.57 mg/L were the cutoff values for predicting large vessel occlusion. Conclusions:Higher baseline NIHSS score and D-dimer value are valuable for early prediction of large vessel occlusion, patients with NIHSS score >6.5 points and D-dimer >0.57 mg/L should be promptly transported to an advanced stroke center for treatment.

Expression and meaning of CHSTs family in clinical non-functioning adenomas / 重庆医学

Objective To observe the RNA expression level of carbohydrate thiotransferase family(CHSTs)in non-functioning adenoma,and to analyze its clinical significance.Methods Ninety tissue samples of clinical non-functioning adenoma were collected.The mRNA expression levels of CHST1/2/7/8,follicle-stimulating hormone subunit(3(FSHb),POU domain transcription factor 1(POU1F1)and steroid-producing factor 1(SF-1)were detected by real time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR).And receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to screen the CHST molecule possessing the function for diagnosing CHST molecule differentiated by non-functional adenoma lineage.Results The expression amounts of CHST1 gene and CHST7 gene in the tumors with large volume were higher than those with small tumors(P=0.014,P=0.044),and the CHST2 gene level in female patients was higher than that in male patients(P=0.016),and the CHST8 gene level in invasive tumors were lower than in non-invasive tumors(P=0.044).The grouping was conducted according to the intensity of SF-1 staining,there were statistically signif-icant differences in CHST1/2/7/8 gene levels among all groups(P＜0.05);the grouping was performed ac-cording to the intensity of PIT1 staining,there were statistically significant differences in CHST1/7 gene levels among all groups(P＜0.01).The correlation analysis showed that the CHST1 level was positively correlated with the tumor volume and POU1F1 level(r=0.322,P=0.002;r=0.686,P＜0.001)and negatively corre-lated with the NR5A1 level(r=-0.227,P=0.032).The CHST7 level was positively correlated with the POU1F1 level(r=0.774,P＜0.001);the CHST8 level was positively correlated with the FSHb and NR5A1 levels(r=0.485,P＜0.001;r=0.725,P＜0.001).The area under ROC curve(AUC)of CHST1 for diagno-sing the immature POU1F1 lineage was 0.750(P=0.023).AUC of CHST8 for diagnosing SF-1 lineage was 0.776(P=0.008),and the AUC of CHST1 combined with CHST8 was 0.823(P=0.002).Conclusion The CHST family is involved in the proliferation and differentiation of clinical nonfunctional adenomas.CHST1 combined with CHST8 is valuable in the diagnosis of SF-1 lineage differentiation.

Association between triglyceride glucose index and its related derivative index and metabolic associated fatty liver disease in the elderly men / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To explore the association between triglyceride glucose(TyG)index and TyG-body mass index(TyG-BMI)and the prevalence of metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)in the elderly men.Methods Totally 2290 elderly men were selected from January to December in 2021 in the Second Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital,and divided into MAFLD group(n=1322)and non-MAFLD group(n=968).Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between TyG index,TyG-BMI and MAFLD.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to explore the predictive value of TyG index and TyG-BMI with MAFLD in the elderly men.Results Two thousand two hundred and ninety elderly men were(74.3±10.1)years old,and an average BMI of(24.63±2.70)kg/m2.BMI,γ-glutamyl transaminase(γ-GT),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),serum creatinine(Scr),thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH),free triiodothyronine(FT3),the rate of smoking and drinking,and the prevalence of hypertension,diabetes,hyperuricemia,high triglyceride(TG),low high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),hyperuricemia,thyroid nodules and cholelithiasis were all significantly higher in non-MAFLD group than those in MAFLD group(P<0.05),while the age of MAFLD group was lower than that of non-MAFLD group(P=0.003).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of MAFLD in patients of TyG quartile groups Q2,Q3,Q4 was 1.667(95%CI 1.257-2.236,P<0.001),2.004(95%CI 1.482-2.710,P<0.001)and 5.420(95%CI 3.266-8.995,P<0.001)times higher than that of TyG Q1,respectively.The risk of MAFLD in patients of TyG-BMI Q2,Q3,Q4 was 2.215(95%CI 1.549-3.167,P<0.001),2.809(95%CI 1.723-4.580,P<0.001)and 2.513(95%CI 1.253-5.040,P=0.009)times higher than that of TyG-BMI Q1,respectively.The ROC curve showed that areas under the curve(AUC)of MAFLD predicted by TyG index and TyG-BMI were 0.717(95%CI 0.696-0.738)and 0.840(95%CI 0.823-0.856),and the best cut-off values were 8.63 and 205.20,respectively.Moreover,the ROC curve showed that AUC of MAFLD in the elderly men without hyperlipidemia or diabetes predicted by TyG index and TyG-BMI were 0.653(95%CI 0.622-0.684)and 0.840(95%CI 0.818-0.862),and the best cut-off values were 8.42 and 202.66,respectively.In addition,AUC,accuracy,specificity,sensitivity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value predicted by TyG-BMI were higher than those by TyG index.Conclusions TyG index and TyG-BMI are significantly associated with MAFLD in the elderly men.Both TyG index and TyG-BMI have certain predictive value for the prevalence of MAFLD in the elderly men,and TyG-BMI may be better.

Visual function changes of dysthyroid optic neuropathy and ROC curve analysis for early diagnostic indicators / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) is a class of diseases that makes seriously endanger to the vision of patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. This study aims to observe the visual function changes in patients with DON, and to evaluate the diagnostic value of indicators diagnosing DON.@*METHODS@#A retrospective study was conducted on 98 eyes of 49 patients with dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) who were treated in Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2017 to December 2019. All patients were received the examination of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), Humphrey visual field, visual evoked potential (VEP), and contrast sensitivity. Ninety-eight eyes were divided into a DON group (45 eyes) and a non-DON group (53 eyes). T-test was used to compare the related indicators between the 2 groups. The sensitivity and specificity of each indicator were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.@*RESULTS@#The BCVA and visual field index (VFI) of the DON group were significantly lower than those of the non-DON group (all P<0.05). The mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) of the DON group were significantly higher than those of the non-DON group (all P<0.05). The low frequency contrast sensitivity (CSL), medium frequency contrast sensitivity (CSM), and high frequency contrast sensitivity (CSH) of the DON group were significantly lower than those of the non-DON group (all P<0.05), with CSH being particularly prominent. Compared with the non-DON group, at spatial frequencies of 15°, 30°, and 60°, the amplitude of N135 wave was significantly reduced, and the latency of N75 wave, P100 wave, and N135 wave was significantly prolonged in the DON group (all P<0.05); at spatial frequencies of 15° and 30°, the amplitude of P100 wave was significantly reduced in the DON group (P<0.05). The ROC curve analysis results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of VFI, CSL, CSM, CSH and 15° P100 amplitude diagnosing DON were 0.812, 0.841, 0.880, 0.784, and 0.791, respectively, with CSM possessing the highest sensitivity and specificity.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The visual function of patients with DON is decreased. VFI, contrast sensitivity of low, medium, and high frequency, and 15° P100 wave amplitude might be effective indicators for early diagnosis of DON.

Soluble growth stimulating gene protein 2 in the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the correlation between soluble growth stimulating gene protein 2 (sST2) and the severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and its value in the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury.Methods:The clinical data of 110 patients with traumatic brain injury who were treated in The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Anhui Province Hospital) from July 2022 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. These 110 patients were included in the observation group. An additional 62 patients without traumatic brain injury who concurrently received treatment in the same hospital were included in the control group. In the observation group, patients were divided into a severe group [Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score 3-8 points), a moderate group (GCS score 9-12 points), and a mild group (GCS score 13-15 points) according to the GCS score. Serum sST2 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) within 24 hours after injury in each group. Serum sST2 levels were compared between the observation group and the control group. Serum sST2 levels were compared among patients with severe, moderate, and mild TBI in the observation group to analyze the correlation between serum sST2 levels and the GCS score. The efficacy of serum sST2 levels in the diagnosis of TBI was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve).Results:Serum sST2 levels in the observation group were 96.25 (48.05, 200.00) μg/L, which were significantly higher than 25.45 (19.78, 40.46) μg/L in the control group ( Z = -8.19, P < 0.05). Serum sST2 levels in pastients with severe TBI were slightly, but not significantly, higher than those in patients with moderate TBI ( P > 0.05), and serum sST2 levels in patients with severe and moderate TBI were significantly higher than those in patients with mild TBI ( Z = -5.20, Z = -4.40, both P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in sST2 levels among patients with mild, moderate and severe TBI ( H = 36.88, P < 0.05). In the observation group, serum sST2 levels within 24 hours after surgery were significantly negatively correlated with GCS score within 24 hours after admission ( rs = -0.561, 95% CI: -0.680~-0.413, P < 0.001). As serum sST2 levels increased, GCS scores showed a decreasing trend. Serum sST2 levels can be used as a prognostic indicator for TBI. Serum sST2 levels within 24 hours after injury can serve as a risk factor for TBI ( β = 0.042, OR = 1.043, 95% CI: 1.026-1.061, P < 0.001). The serum sST2 levels within 24 hours after injury have good diagnostic efficacy for TBI (area under the curve = 87.5%, 95% CI: 0.825-0.926, P < 0.001). Conclusion:The measurement of serum sST2 levels has a high value in the evaluation of the severity of TBI and prognosis, which is crucial for developing personalized treatment strategies for TBI.

Preliminary application of artificial intelligence in the pathological diagnosis of periapical cysts / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To study the effect of artificial intelligence in the pathological diagnosis of periapical cysts and to explore the application of artificial intelligence in the field of oral pathology.@*Methods@#Pathological images of eighty-seven periapical cysts were selected as subjects to read, and a neural network with a U-net structure was constructed. The 87 HE images and labeled images of periapical cysts were divided into a training set (72 images) and a test set (15 images), which were used in the training model and test model, respectively. Finally, the target level index F1 score, pixel level index Dice coefficient and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to evaluate the ability of the U-net model to recognize periapical cyst epithelium.@*Results @# The F1 score of the U-net network model for recognizing periapical cyst epithelium was 0.75, and the Dice index and the areas under the ROC curve were 0.685 and 0.878, respectively.@*Conclusion@#The U-net network model constructed by artificial intelligence has a good segmentation result in identifying periapical cyst epithelium, which can be preliminarily applied in the pathological diagnosis of periapical cysts and is expected to be gradually popularized in clinical practice after further verification with large samples.

Analysis on the pharyngeal microbiota in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux disease

Abstract Objective(s): In this study, the laryngopharynx microbiome alterations were characterized after proton pump inhibitor treatment in patients with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease (LPRD) and healthy people. The potential outcome-predictive biomarker was explored. Methods: Patients with LPRD and healthy controls were enrolled. The composition of their laryngopharynx microbiota was analyzed both by traditional plate count of the main bacterial groups and PCR amplification followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Shannon-Wiener index and evenness index based on Dice index were used to assess the bacterial diversity. Droplet digital PCR was used to determine the total bacterial RNA and relative abundance of Klebsiella oxytoca. Receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to explore the potential of Klebsiella oxytoca as an outcome-predictive biomarker. Results: A total of 29 LPRD cases and 28 healthy subjects were enrolled. The composition of the laryngopharynx microbiota was almost similar, except Klebsiella oxytoca. The cluster analysis showed that the similarity between healthy and treatment-effective groups, as well as pretreatment and treatment-invalid groups, was close. Statistical analysis showed that there were differences in the diversity index and richness among the healthy, treatment-effective, pretreatment and treatment-invalid groups. The abundance of Klebsiella oxytoca in the treatment-effective LPRD group was lower than that of the treatment-invalid LPRD group. The abundance of Klebsiella oxytoca can distinguish treatment-effective and -invalid groups (AUC = 0.859) with a sensitivity of 77.78% and specificity of 90.91%. Conclusion: There were differences in the diversity of cecal contents microbial community between treatment-invalid and treatment-effective LPRD groups. Klebsiella oxytoca has potential to distinguish treatment outcomes. Level of evidence: How common is the problem? Level 1. Is this diagnostic or monitoring test accurate? (Diagnosis) Level 4. What will happen if we do not add a therapy? (Prognosis) Level 5. Does this intervention help? (Treatment Benefits) Level 4. What are the COMMON harms? (Treatment Harms) Level 4. What are the RARE harms? (Treatment Harms) Level 4. Is this (early detection) test worthwhile?(Screening) Level 4.

Mini International Neuropsychiatry Interview Kid or Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale 5I for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Adolescent Girls Infected with COVID-19

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may develop after exposure to exceptionally life threatening or horrifying events. People suffering from PTSD are vulnerable for both physical and mental health. Objectives: To find out sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and to plot receiver operating characteristic curve taking Mini International Neuropsychiatry Interview-Kid (MINIKID) as the gold standard and Child PTSD Symptom Scale 5I (CPSS-5I) as the newer diagnostic tool for diagnosing PTSD. Materials and Methods: The cross?sectional study was carried out for a period of 6 months from January 2021 to June 2021 at R. L. Jalappa Hospital and Research Center, Kolar, Karnataka through telephonic interviews. All the data entered in Microsoft office Excel sheet, analyzed using the SPSSv22 (IBM Corp). Results: Sensitivity of the CPSS?5I was 56% and specificity was 96% compared with MINIKID. 83% and 85%, respectively, was PPV and NPV of the CPSS?5I compared with MINIKID. Area under the curve is 83.9% with P < 0.001 (72.5–95.2) indicating CPSS?5I is 84% sensitive proving to be a very good diagnostic tool for diagnosing PTSD. Furthermore, scores of 9.5 or 10.5 from CPSS?5I can be used as cutoff in diagnosing PTSD using CPSS 51. Conclusion: CPSS-5I is extremely well designed, helpful and functional tool used in diagnosing PTSD. With the current study showing CPSS-5I can be used in post-COVID PTSD diagnosis, it also provides cutoff which can be helpful in mass screening.

Role Of Raised C-Reactive Protein (CRP) As the Indicator for Surgical Intervention in Clinically Diagnosed Acute Appendicitis

Background: The diagnosis of acute appendicitis relies more on the clinical acumen of the surgeon than on the investigations. As the condition is associated with an acute-phase reaction the analysis of WBC, neutrophil percentage and serum level of CRP has been demonstrated to be important diagnostic tools. Surprisingly the level of CRP becomes proportionately raised with increasing severity of the histopathological variety of the appendix. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to compare the preoperative CRP level with postoperative histological findings and find out a predictive value of CRP as an indicator for surgical intervention in acute appendicitis.Material & Methods:It was a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study executed in the Department of Surgery, Dhaka Medical College Hospital from January to December of 2015 where 107 patients were included in this study. Preoperative level of CRP and WBC count was done in all selected patients. Histopathological severity of the resected specimen of the appendix was determined postoperatively. The correlation between preoperative clinical factors and the actual histological severity and identification of surgical indication markers was assessed to determine whether only the CRP level significantly differs between the surgical treatment necessary group and the possible non-surgical treatment group.Results:54% (58) of the patients were female out of a total of 107. Peak incidence (25.2%) was in the 16-20 years age group. Neither age nor gender had any significance with the type of appendicitis. Among the patients 28.1% (30) had gangrenous appendicitis. In patients with histopathologically proven acute appendicitis, both the WBC count and serum CRP level were raised. But only the CRP level significantly differs between gangrenous appendicitis and uncomplicated appendicitis (p-value<0.0001). The specificity and sensitivity of serum CRP for gangrenous appendicitis were 97% and 71% respectively. The ROC curve indicated that the cutoff value of CRP for gangrenous appendicitis is 6.2 mg/dl. Conclusions:A normal pre-operative serum CRP measurement in patients with suspected acute appendicitis is most likely associated with a normal or uncomplicated inflammation of the appendix. The rate of unnecessary appendectomies would probably reduce in this patient group by deferring surgery. Only the CRP level is consistent with the severity of appendicitis and can be considered to be a surgical indication marker for acute appendicitis.

A clinical study of serum human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) has poor early diagnosis rates due to its insidious onset. Since human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is highly expressed in patients with PC, we assessed whether serum HE4 could be a marker for the detection 3 of PC. Method: Between May 2017 and October 2018, 127 patients with PC were recruited for the study along with 108 healthy controls who underwent health examinations. Serum HE4 concentrations were determined together with levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigens (CA) 242 (CA242), CA19?9, CA15?3, and CA72?4 by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) or chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA). Correlations between these biomarkers were assessed. Results: Serum levels of all six biomarkers were higher in patients with PC than in controls (P < 0.05). No correlation was observed between the serum levels of HE4 and the five other tumor markers, although there were strongly significant positive correlations between CA19?9 and CA15?3, and between CA242 and CA72?4. The lack of correlation indicates that HE4 has independent value in the diagnosis of PC. The combined assessment of serum HE4 levels and the other tumor markers improved the sensitivity of diagnosis. In particular, HE4 combined with CA19?9 performed significantly better than HE4 alone, or CA19?9 combined with the other markers. The HE4/CA19?9 combination resulted in 94.49% sensitivity and 99.07% specificity (95% confidence interval: 96.9–100). Conclusion: HE4 is a biomarker associated with PC with a high specificity , either used alone, or evaluated with other biomarkers together improving the detection of PC. This study may provide a new clinical diagnostic approach for PC detection

Clinical characteristics of human cytomegalovirus pneumonia in children and the diagnosis value of detecting human cytomegalovirus DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, therapy and prognosis of human cytomegalovirus(HCMV)pneumonia in pediatric patients, and to analyze the diagnosis value of detecting HCMV DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)by real-time PCR.Methods:The clinical characteristics of 58 pediatric inpatients who were HCMV DNA positive in BALF were retrospectively reviewed.All the patients were from Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2015 to December 2019.Clinical, radiologic, laboratory and microbiologic data was collected for each patient.The study cohort was divided into HCMV productive infection and latent infection consisting of 22 and 36 patients respectively, based on the HCMV active infection in lung or not.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess utility of detecting HCMV DNA in BALF and establish a threshold for diagnosis.Results:(1)Compared with patients in latent infection group, the children in productive infection group had a lower age of onset( P<0.05), a higher proportion of male( P<0.05), and more prolonged hospitalization stay( P<0.05). Pulmonary rales, hypoxemia and higher AST, CK, LDH in serum were easier to detect in productive infection group( P<0.05). Higher HCMV DNA copies in BALF was also detected( P<0.01). Patients in productive infection group had significantly more exposure to additional oxygen treatment or mechanical ventilation and systemic hormone therapy( P<0.05), while with poorer outcomes( P<0.05). (2) ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC for HCMV DNA in BALF in diagnosis of HCMV pneumonia was 0.708 with a threshold of 8.83×10 3 copies/mL, a sensitivity of 77.27%, and a specificity of 58.33%. Conclusion:Those who are diagnosed HCMV pneumonia have a lower age of onset with higher male proportion.These children suffered severer clinical signs.The patients with HCMV DNA copies higher than 8.83×10 3 copies/mL in BALF would be more likely to be diagnosed as HCMV pneumonia.

Screening of radiation sensitive lipids in rat plasma at early stage after total body irradiation with 60Co γ-rays / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To explore the characteristics of lipid metabolism in rat plasma after total body irradiation(TBI) in order to provide scientific evidence of radiation biomarkers.Methods:For the non-targeted lipidomics study, 50 SD rats were divided into 6 groups and irradiated with 0, 1, 2, 3, 5 or 8 Gy 60Co γ-rays, respectively. For the targeted lipidomics study, 25 rats were divided into 5 groups and irradiated with 0, 0.5, 2.5, 4 or 6 Gy. Venous blood samples were collected and plasma were separated 4 h after TBI. Radiation-sensitive lipids were screened and their concentrations were determined. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and dose-response were analyzed. Results:A total of 15 radiation differential lipids were screened out based on non-targeted lipidomics study and 7 of them were identified as radiosensitive lipids by targeted lipidomics analysis. The ROC of radiosensitive lipids distinguished area under curve (AUC) of samples in 0 Gy group and > 0 Gy group, < 2 Gy group and ≥ 2 Gy group were all > 0.75. The AUC values were increased to 0.96 and 0.94 after the panel of radiation sensitive lipids ROC analysis. The concentrations of LysoPC(18: 2), LysoPC(22: 0), PC(18: 0/18: 2), PE(18: 2/16: 0) and PE(18: 2/18: 0) decreased with irradiation dose within 0-6 Gy.Conclusions:A total of 7 plasma radiosensitive lipids in rat plasma were identified 4 h after TBI, and the panel of them could be used for specific dose classification. Five of the lipids had good dose-response relationship.

The value of urodynamic study in the differential diagnosis of patients with parkinsonian-type multiple system atrophy and Parkinson′s disease with lower urinary tract symptoms / 中华神经科杂志

Objective:To investigate the urodynamic characteristics in parkinsonian-type multiple system atrophy (MSA-P) and Parkinson′s disease (PD) patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and to identify the differential diagnostic ability of urodynamic study.Methods:Sixty-eight MSA-P patients and 85 PD patients with LUTS who underwent urodynamic studies and were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from February 2017 to December 2020 were reviewed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the discriminatory power of urodynamic parameters.Results:Compared with PD, patients with MSA-P had shorter disease duration [2.70 (2.05, 3.00) years vs 5.00 (4.00, 6.00) years, Z=-7.44, P<0.001]. In free uroflowmetry (UFM) and pressure-flow study (PFS), patients with MSA-P showed lower maximal flow rate [Qmax; UFM-Qmax 6.00 (3.00, 8.75) ml/s vs 9.00 (6.00, 14.00) ml/s, Z=-4.31, P<0.001; PFS-Qmax[6.00 (3.00, 8.75) ml/s vs 9.00 (6.00, 14.00) ml/s, Z=-4.03, P<0.001] and larger postvoid residual [PVR;UFM-PVR 207.50 (113.75, 280.00) ml vs 45.00 (10.00, 117.50) ml, Z =-6.03, P<0.001; PFS-PVR 269.00 (148.75, 337.50) ml vs 75.00 (20.00, 167.50) ml, Z=-6.55, P<0.001)] with decreased compliance [42.65% (29/68) vs 14.12% (12/85), χ 2=15.68, P<0.001], decreased detrusor pressure at maximun flow rate [PdetQmax; 13.00 (6.00, 27.75) cmH 2O vs 27.00 (15.00, 39.50) cmH 2O, Z=-4.65, P<0.001; 1 cmH 2O=0.098 kPa] and impaired contractility [43.00 (34.00, 59.25) vs 79.00 (46.50, 100.00), Z=-5.44, P<0.001]. Compared with the MSA-P patients, detrusor overactivity (DO) was prominent in PD [54.41% (37/68) vs 78.82% (67/85), χ 2=10.34, P=0.001]. The ROC curve results showed that PFS-PVR had highest area under the curve (AUC), which was 0.81 (95% CI 0.74-0.88, P<0.001), followed by UFM-PVR, bladder contractility index and PdetQmax (0.78, 0.76 and 0.72, respectively). Conclusions:Patients with MSA-P showed lower Qmax and larger PVR with decreased bladder compliance and impaired contractility, while patients with PD had higher incidence of DO. The ROC results showed that PFS-PVR had the highest AUC and specificity in the differential diagnosis of MSA-P and PD,indicating that urodynamic study is a useful tool in differential diagnosis of patients with MSA-P and PD with lower urinary tract symptoms.

Comparison analysis of five ultrasound malignancy risk stratification guidelines for thyroid nodules / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To compare and analyze the clinical diagnostic values of five thyroid nodule malignant risk stratification guidelines.Methods:From October 2019 to October 2021, 926 cases of patients with 1 027 thyroid nodules were recruited in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi ′an Jiaotong University. All nodules were categorized individually according to 2015 American Thyroid Association for Ultrasound Malignancy Risk Stratification of Thyroid Nodules in Adults Guidelines(ATA guidelines), 2016 the Korean Society of Radiology and the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems(K-TIRADS), 2017 European Thyroid Association Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems(Eu-TIRADS), 2017 American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems (ACR TI-RADS), and 2020 Chinese Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (C-TIRADS). The pathological results were taken as the gold standard, the malignancy ratio of nodules of different categories in each system was calculated. ROC curves were plotted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiencies of different systems, and DeLong test was used to compare the areas under ROC curves. The sensitivity and specificity of different systems were calculated when the maximum point of the Youden index was the optimal cut-off value.Results:In the same stratified system, there were statistically significant differences in the malignant proportion of nodules of different grades ( P<0.05). The malignant proportion of nodules in the high-risk group showed no significant difference among different stratified systems ( P>0.05). Except for C-TIRADS, the malignant proportion of nodules was increased with the increase of diagnostic grade at each grade of the other four stratification systems. ROC curve showed that AUCs of ATA guidelines, K-TIRADS, EU-TIRADS, ACR TI-RADS and C-TIRADS were 0.814, 0.819, 0.814, 0.820 and 0.802, respectively, there was no statistical significance in AUC of different stratification systems (all P>0.05). The optimal truncation values in differentiating benign and malignant nodules were middle-risk malignant nodules, moderately suspicious malignant nodules, middle-risk malignant nodules, class 4 and class 4B. The diagnostic of five stratification systems showed that ATA guidelines had the highest sensitivity (0.784), C-TIRADS had the highest specificity (0.854). Conclusions:The five stratified systems have similar efficacy in differentiating benign and malignant thyroid nodules, and all of them have good diagnostic value.